The Natural History of Wiltshire Part 8

CHAPTER IV.

SOILES.

[THIS and the three succeeding chapters, on "Mineralls and Fossills,"

"Stones," and "Formed Stones", comprise the Geological portions of Aubrey's work. In a scientific view, these chapters may be regarded as of little value; though creditable to their author as a minute observer, and enthusiastic lover of science. It has been necessary to omit much which the progress of scientific knowledge has rendered obsolete; and in the pa.s.sages quoted, the object has been to select such as possessed the most general interest, as well as having direct application to Wilts.h.i.+re. A good summary of the Geological characteristics of the county will be found in the article "Wilts.h.i.+re," in the Penny Cyclopaedia. Mr. John Provis, of Chippenham, contributed a similar sketch to the third volume of the Beauties of Wilts.h.i.+re; and the geology of Salisbury and its vicinity is described in Hatcher's History of Salisbury, by the son of the historian, Mr. W.

H. Hatcher.-J. B.]

THIS county hath great variety of earth. It is divided, neer about the middle, from east to west into the dowries; commonly called Salisbury- plaine, which are the greatest plaines in Europe: and into the vale; which is the west end of the vale of Whitehorse.

The vale is the northern part; the soile whereof is what wee call a stone-brash; sc. red earth, full of a kind of tile-stone, in some places good tiles. It beareth good barley. In the west places of the soile, wormewood growes very plentifully; whereas in the south part they plant it in their garden.

The soile of Malmesbury hundred, which is stone-brash and clay, and the earth vitriolish, produces excellent okes, which seem to delight in a vitriolate soile, and where iron oare is. The clay and stones doe hinder the water from sinking down, whereby the surface of the earth becomes dropsicall, and beares mosse and herbs naturall to such moist ground. In the ploughed fields is plenty of yarrow; in the pasture grounds plenty of wood wax; and in many grounds plenty of centaury, wood sorrell, ladies' bed-straw, &c., sowre herbes.

I never saw in England so much blew clay as in the northern part of this county, and it continues from the west part to Oxfords.h.i.+re.

Under the planke-stones is often found blew marle, which is the best.

In Vernknoll, a ground belonging to Fowles-wick, adjoyning to the lands of Easton-Pierse, neer the brooke and in it, I bored clay as blew as ultra-marine, and incomparably fine, without anything of sand, &c., which perhaps might be proper for Mr. Dwight for his making of porcilaine. It is also at other places hereabout, but 'tis rare.

[It is not very clear that "blew clay," however fine, could be "proper for the making of porcilane," the chief characteristic of which is its transparent whiteness. Apart from this however, Aubrey's remark is curious; as it intimates that the manufacture of it was attempted in this country at an earlier period than is generally believed. The famous porcelain works at Chelsea were not established till long afterwards; and according to Dr. Plott, whose "Natural History of Staffords.h.i.+re" was published in 1686, the only kinds of pottery then made in this country were the coa.r.s.e yellow, red, black, and mottled wares; and of those the chief sale was to "poor crate-men, who carried them on their backs all over the country", I have not found any account of the Mr. Dwight mentioned by Aubrey, or of his attempts to improve the art of pottery.- J. B.]

Clay abounds, particularly about Malmesbury, Kington St. Michael, Allington, Easton Piers (as also a hungry marle), Dracott-Cerne, Yatton-Keynell, Minty, and Bradon-forest.

At Minty, and at a place called Woburn, in the parish of Hankerton, is very good fullers'-earth. The fullers'-earth at Minty-common, at the place called the Gogges, when I tooke it up, was as black as black polished marble; but, having carryed it in my pocket five or six dayes, it became gray.

At Hedington, at the foot of the hill, is a kind of white fullers'- earth which the cloth-workers doe use; and on the north side of the river at Broad Chalke, by a poole where are fine springs (where the hermitage is), is a kind of fullers'-earth which the weavers doe use for their chaines: 'tis good Tripoly, or "lac lunae". Lac lunae is the mother of silver, and is a cosmetick.

In Boudon-parke, fifteen foot deep under the barren sand, is a great plenty of blew marle, with which George Johnson, Esq., councellor-at- law, hath much improved his estate there. The soile of the parke was so exceedingly barren, that it did beare a gray mosse, like that of an old park pale, which skreeks as one walkes on it, and putts ones teeth on edge. Furzes did peep a little above the ground, but were dwarfes and did not thrive.

At Bitteston, in the highway, blew marle appears. Mr. Montjoy hath drawn the water that runnes through it, and is impregnated with its nitre, into his pasture grounds, by which meanes they are improved from ---- to ---- per annum.

In Bradon-forest, and at Ashton Kaynes, is a pottery. There is potters' clay also at . .. . Deverell, on the common towards Frome, and potts are made there.

At Clarendon-parke is lately discovered (1684) an earth that cleanseth better than Woburne earthe in Bedfords.h.i.+re; and Mr. Cutler, the cloathier of Wilton, tells me he now makes only use of it. There is at Burton-hill, juxta Malmesbury, fullers' earth, as also about Westport, and elsewhere thereabout, which the cloathiers use.

Tobacco-pipe-clay excellent, or the best in England, at Chittern, of which the Gauntlet pipes at Amesbury are made, by one of that name.

They are the best tobacco pipes in England. [See a curious paragraph on the subject of Gauntlet-pipes in Fuller's Worthies,- Wilts.h.i.+re.-J.

B.]

The earth about Malmesbury hundred and Chippenham hundred, especially about Pewsham-forest, is vitriolate, or aluminous and vitriolate; which in hot weather the sun does make manifest on the banks of the ditches.

At Bradfield and Dracot Cerne is such vitriolate earth; which with galles will make inke. This makes the land so soure, it beares sowre and austere plants: it is a proper soile for dayries. At summer it hunger-banes the sheep; and in winter it rotts them.

These clayy and marly lands are wett and dirty; so that to poore people, who have not change of shoes, the cold is very incommodious, which hurts their nerves exceedingly. Salts, as the Lord Chancellor Bacon sayes, doe exert (irradiate) raies of cold. Elias Ashmole, Esq.

got a dangerous cold by sitting by the salt sacks in a salter's shop, which was like to have cost him his life. And some salts will corrode papers, that were three or four inches from it. The same may be sayd of marble pavements, which have cost some great persons their lives.

The soil of South Wilts is chalke and white marle, which abounds with nitre; and is inimique to the nerves by the nitre that irradiates from it. 'Tis that gives the dampishnesse to the flowres and walles of Salisbury and Chalke, &c. E contra, Herefords.h.i.+re, Salop, Montgomerys.h.i.+re, &c. the soile is clear of any salt; which, besides the goodnesse of the air, conduces much to their longaevitas: e. g., 100 yeares of age in those parts as common as 80 in Wilts, &c.

The walles of the church of Broad Chalke, and of the b.u.t.tery at the farme there, doe shoot out, besides nitre, a beautifull red, lighter than scarlet; an oriental horse-flesh colour.

The soile of Savernake forest is great gravelle: and (as I remember) pebbley, as on the sea side. At Alderbury, by Ivy Church, is great plenty of fine gravelle; which is sent for all over the south parts of the countrey.

At Sutton Benger eastward is a gravelly field called Barrets, which is sown every year onely with barley: it hath not lain fallow in the memory of the oldest man's grandfather there. About 1665 Mr. Leonard Atkins did sow his part of it with wheat for a triall. It came up wonderfully thick and high; but it proved but faire strawe, and had little or nothing in the eare. This land was heretofore the vineyard belonging to the abbey of Malmesbury; of which there is a recitall in the grant of this manner by K. Henry VIII. to Sir ---- Long. This fruitfull ground is within a foot or lesse of the gravell.

The soil of Christian Malford, a parish adjoyning to Sutton, is very rich, and underneath is gravell in many parts.

The first ascent from Chippenham, sc. above the Deny hill, is sandy: e. g. Bowdon-parke, Spy-parke, Sandy-lane, great clear sand, of which I believe good gla.s.se might be made; but it is a little too far from a navigable river. They are ye biggest graines of sand that ever I saw, and very transparent: some where thereabout is sand quite white.

At Burbidge the soile is an ash-coloured gray sand, and very naturall for the production of good turnips. They are the best that ever I did eate, and are sent for far and neere: they are not tough and stringy like other turnips, but cutt like marmalad.

Quaere, how long the trade of turnips has been here? For it is certain that all the turnips that were brought to Bristoll eighty years since [now 1680] were from Wales; and now none come from thence, for they have found out that the red sand about Bristoll doth breed a better and a bigger turnip.

Burbidge is also remarqueable for excellent pease.

The turf of our downes, and so east and west, is the best in the world for gardens and bowling- greens; for more southward it is burnt, and more north it is course.

Temple downe in Preshut parish, belonging to the right honble Charles Lord Seymour, worth xxs. per acre, and better, a great quant.i.ty of it.

As to the green circles on the downes, vulgarly called faiery circles (dances), I presume they are generated from the breathing out of a fertile subterraneous vapour. (The ring-worme on a man's flesh is circular. Excogitate a paralolisme between the cordial heat and ye subterranean heat, to elucidate this phenomenon.) Every tobacco-taker knowes that 'tis no strange thing for a circle of smoke to be whiff'd out of the bowle of the pipe; but 'tis donne by chance. If you digge under the turfe of this circle, you will find at the rootes of the gra.s.se a h.o.a.re or mouldinesse. But as there are fertile steames, so contrary wise there are noxious ones, which proceed from some mineralls, iron, &c.; which also as the others, caeteris paribus, appear in a circular forme.

In the common field of Winterbourn ...... is the celebrated path called St. Thomas Becket's path. It leads from the village up to Clarendon Parke. Whether this field be sown or lies fallow, the path is visible to one that lookes on it from the hill, and it is wonderfull. But I can add yet farther the testimonies of two that I very well know (one of them my servant, and of an excellent sight) that will attest that, riding in the rode from London one morning in a great snow, they did see this path visible on the snow. St. Thomas Becket, they say, was sometime a cure priest at Winter-bourn, and did use to goe along this path up to a chapell in Clarendon Parke, to say ma.s.se, and very likely 'tis true: but I have a conceit that this path is caused by a warme subterraneous steame from a long crack in the earth, which may cause snow to dissolve sooner there than elsewhere: and consequently gives the dissolving snow a darker colour, just as wee see the difference of whites in damask linnen.

The right reverend father in G.o.d, Seth, Lord Bishop of Salisbury, averres to me that at Silchester in Hamps.h.i.+re, which was a Roman citie, one may discerne in the corne ground the signe of the streetes; nay, pa.s.sages and hearthes: which also Dr. Jo. Wilkins (since Lord Bishop of Chester) did see with him, and has affirm'd the same thing to me. They were there, and saw it in the spring.

------ "ita res accendunt lumina rebus".- LUCRETIUS.

The pastures of the vale of White Horse, sc. the first ascent below the plaines, are as rich a turfe as any in the kingdom of England: e. g. the Idovers at Dauntesey, of good note in Smithfield, which sends as fatt cattle to Smythfield as any place in this nation; as also Tytherton, Queenfield, Wroughton, Tokenham, Mudgelt, Lydyard Tregoz, and about Cricklad, are fatting grounds, the garden of Wilts.h.i.+re.

In a little meadow called Mill-mead, belonging to the farme of Broad Chalke, is good peate, which in my father's time was digged and made use of; and no doubt it is to be found in many other places of this country, if it were search't after. But I name it onely to bring in a discovery that Sr Christopher Wren made of it, sc. that 'tis a vegetable, which was not known before. One of the pipes at Hampton Court being stop't, Sr Christopher commanded to have it opened (I think he say'd 'twas an earthen pipe), and they found it choak't with peate,* which consists of a coagmentation of small fibrous vegetables.

These pipes were layd in Cardinal Wolsey's time, who built the house.

* I believe that in ye pipes was nothing else but Alga fontalis trichodes, (C. B.) which is often found in conduit pipes. See my Synopsis.-[JOHN RAY.]

Earth growing. - In the court of Mrs. Sadler's, the great house in the close in Salisbury, the pitched causeway lay neglected in the late troubles, and not weeded: so at lengthe it became overgrown and lost: and I remember about 1656, goeing to pave it, they found,.... inches deep, a good pavement to their hands.